Hello
As you probably know, there's an excellent GTK based IM client called Gaim. How about making a KDE/Qt version of Gaim? One that integrates well into KDE, and the various aspects of KDE. I'm not a programmer, but I hope others who are reading this are interested in doing this. ;)
The download file I attached is a screenshot of Gaim with 'gtk-engines-gtk-qt' that makes GTK apps look like KDE apps, but as you clearly see, it still doesn't integrate well, nor looks as good as a regular KDE app.
In my opinion, Kopete really can't 'kompete' with Gaim. Gaim supports more networks, has loads of plugins like festival (speech synth that reads your incoming messages) and encryption (obvious). It's a lot more actively developed and you can expect at least one new version per month (although usually two), it's the best and most popular multi-platform IM client.
A KDE compatible version would be great for KDE (but not good for Kopete lol).
Please do create Kaim. I know over 43 KDE users who don't like kopete at all. It shouldn't be too hard, considering both KDE and Gaim are open source ;)
Happy coding, and may the source be with you :D

Last changelog:

12 years ago

Initial "announcement"

18 comments

Comments

sindbad1900

11 years ago

it doesn't really need porting. as of 2.0beta4, the gaim core and gui are completely separate. a c++ gui can certainly be made. hell it can even be written in python. all we need is someone with enough time and expertise to do it. maybe the developer of kopete?

wizactive

12 years ago

Not only the difference between gtk and qt. KDE is programmed in C++ and Gaim with C. That "++" counts alot. So you can't just port Gaim. You need to rewrite and design the code.

So it would be easier to fork kopete... maybe you should just learn to write code youself before referring to lazyness of developers when suggesting insane projects without doing any research(like is the porting even possible).

Superstoned

12 years ago

i don't think it is possible. gaim is coded in gtk, you might rewrite it to QT (which means almost writing it again i think), but unless you do, the kde integration will always remain a hack. a slow hack, that is. and always behind gaim in development.

if you would spend half the time it would take to port gaim to QT/KDE on kopete, kopete kicks gaim's ass on every front :D

DaBlade

Anyway, the only good side I found with Kopete is that it's skinnable. But if Kaim is developed, it can easily be made skinnable too.
Are there any developers out there reading this? If yes, please make Kaim :)

leinir

12 years ago

I'm sorry to be the one to say this, but why not help out the Kopete people in stead? They've already got a multi-network IM client for KDE, which blends in perfectly... They're even looking for people right now! Go join #kopete on irc.freenode.net or get directly in contact with them. It seems silly to me to be duplicating the effort, when they're so open towards new people...

leinir

12 years ago

(self reply, thought of something more ;) )

Thing is, you say you know 43 KDE users who don't like Kopete... Why don't people tell the Kopete developers what's wrong? Without the feedback, how are they to know how to fix the problems that it, like any other software product on the planet, obviously will have? Come on, help out your desktop! This is a community, people! :)

dolio

Those sound like bugs I remember from like two releases ago. When's the last time you used Kopete? If they're still bugs, then you should submit bug reports (that's the only way Kopete can get better).

"The interface, bugs me (hard for me to distinguish text)."

I don't understand this one. Are you talking about fonts? You can have different fonts for different parts of the interface, you know...

"There are plugins in gaim (Off the Record, song away ), that aren't supported in kopete."

Plugins can easily be written for Kopete. Try filing wishlist items in the bugzilla, and they might get implemented. It's certainly much less difficult than porting all of Gaim to a totally different toolkit.

Incidentally, Kopete has a "Now Listening" plugin, if that's what you mean by "song away."

"I wish both could transfer files over the aim network though."

This is annoying, but it's slated to be done at some point, along with buddy icons for AIM and so on.

As someone else here said, Kopete needs more developers. I doubt any project to port Gaim to KDE (which would be a *lot* of work, by the way) would get enough developers to get anywhere very fast, and most likely any issues you guys have would be more quickly dealt with if those developers fixed/added new stuff in Kopete (not to mention that some of your complaints are out of date). Your time would probably be better spent encouraging people to work on Kopete, and filing bugs/wishlists for things you think need improvement.

dudek

12 years ago

I totally agree with this. But making another application from scratch, just because you don't like the interface on another one seems like the only way of the opensource community. It is one of the key reasons why opensource is not as successful as it could be.
This dumb reason is why projects like openbox, xine and gnome exist.

Basically my point is this: why waste time remaking something from scratch when you can just improve the existing projects by much more, with a lot less effort?

Take xine for example: mplayer was created earlier, has many more features, yet people choose to create xine (another media player) because they didn't like mplayer. Why couldn't they have just improved mplayer?

shodekiagari

12 years ago

A version fo firefox, and gaim that fit in my kde desktop would be nice. Only two non-kde apps that I use regularly. Also, the two I use predominately... I know it would help make things run faster on my desktop.

DaBlade

12 years ago

http://gaim-vv.sourceforge.net/
^Video and audio support, but it's a whole version of Gaim, not a plugin.
And I'm sure anything is possible when it comes to how it'll look. I think it should also be skinnable.